Colleges, Institutes and Communities: Partners in Poverty Alleviation. Submission to the House of Commons Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities

Association of Canadian Community Colleges

This report was created in conjunction with the Association of Canadian Community College's (ACCC) review of the federal government's contribution to reducing poverty in Canada. Colleges and institutes are fundamental partners in the socio-economic infrastructure and development of their communities. Colleges deliver a comprehensive array of programs through multi-campus networks distributed over large geographical regions and serve small resource-based communities undergoing rapid change. ACCC wishes to underscore the key roles that the national network of colleges and institutes play in addressing poverty in urban, rural, remote and northern communities. In rural, remote and northern areas, colleges are often the only post-secondary institution and play key roles in facilitating strong community revitalization strategies through local and regional, social and economic development. The shift towards a knowledge-based economy requires that these colleges deliver more sophisticated programs, including the expansion of distance and technology enhanced learning opportunities, including those targeted at low-skilled learners. Opportunities for federal contributions are identified, including: (1) Engage with provinces and territories to ensure that the federal transfer payments earmarked for post-secondary education are used as intended, and that colleges and institutes of technology receive a proportionate share; (2) Increase investments in human capital and knowledge infrastructure to address college capacity challenges and enhance the momentum started by the Knowledge Infrastructure Program; (3) Examine all federal training programs with the goal of eliminating fragmentation, short term funding and inequities for learners; (4) Increase funding for the Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) Post Secondary Student Support Program; (5) Increase the Canada Study Grants for low-income post-secondary students to cover basic living costs for housing, child care, medical prescriptions, transportation and food; (6) Create a poverty alleviation fund for disadvantaged learners that colleges can access to enhance services such as literacy and skills assessments, enhanced counselling and tutor/mentor services, and technology-based learning material and technological infrastructure; (7) Expand the eligibility period for Employment Insurance recipients who are engaged in retraining to acquire the depth and breadth of advanced skills needed; (8) Direct 5 percent of federal investment in discovery research to applied research, product development, and commercialization carried out by colleges and their private sector partners; (9) Extend to colleges and institutes of technology the same Goods and Services Tax (GST) exemption that has been afforded to municipalities as previously recommended by the House of Commons Finance Committee; and (10) Host a national summit that would bring together governments, the private sector, educational institutions and community groups to discuss strategies targeted at the needs of the population and the economy in terms of poverty and productivity. (Contains 1 footnote.)